This invention relates to Bingo-type games, and more particularly pertains to a Bingo-type game that incorporates motifs, symbols, and illustrations from various holidays, such as Easter, Halloween, and Christmas, in the play of the game.
The original Bingo game is perhaps one of the most popular games ever devised. The original Bingo game includes a number of attractive features which are an essential part of its widespread popularity: 1) it can be played anywhere, i.e., at home, school, church, firehall, senior citizens center, etc.; 2) the playing pieces are easy to set up and easy to transport; 3) the game itself can be quickly learned and mastered, and can be played by anyone commencing from approximately age 5 and up; and 4) the game itself can be played in a short amount of time, and depending upon the setting, at the conclusion of the game there may be some type of pay-off for the winner.
Obviously, because the game of Bingo has such commendable attributes, the format and manner of play of the game has been adapted by numerous other games. For example, the Frischmann et. al. sound Bingo game, U.S. Pat. No. 4,169,601, represents one adaptation. The Frischmann et. al. patent includes a set of playing cards having the format of Bingo playing cards except each grid contains a unique picture of a sound-emitting object instead of a number. Imprinted on a phonograph record are the actual sounds produced by the various objects pictured on all the playing cards, and as the record is played, the players cover the pictures of the objects found on their respective playing cards which correspond to the particular sound played by the record. The first player to cover the grids on his or her playing card in a manner similar to conventional Bingo is declared the winner. The Gernhofer patent, U.S. Pat. No. 5,139,270, utilizes the same format as the conventional Bingo game but fills each grid with a picture representing a circus scene or leaves the grid blank so that the player can insert his or her name within that open grid space.
Despite the ingenuity of the above Bingo-type games, there remains a need for a Bingo-type game which is directed toward children and which incorporates motifs from various holidays, such as Easter, Halloween, Christmas, etc.